(Business in Cameroon) - The National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB) forecasts a slight 2.2% increase in Cameroon’s cocoa production during the 2019/2020 season.

According to the board, the country’s production could rise from 264,000 tonnes in 2018-2019 to 269,808 tonnes in the 2019-2020 season.

"This slight estimated increase, compared to the 2018-2019 campaign, is mainly due to the health crisis that Cameroon is going through," the NCCB explains.

By comparison, marketed cocoa production in the previous season increased by almost 4% from 254,000 to 264,000 tonnes. This increase, according to the NCCB, was due to the substantial improvement in the quality of the beans (because of the vulgarization of good post-harvest practices), increased local demand from cocoa processors (new Neo Industry’s plant in Kekem in April 2019 with an estimated annual processing capacity of 26,000 tonnes of cocoa), and an increase in external demand.

S.A.